Green Thumbs Up: Creating outdoor rooms in the landscape

Suzanne Mahler

Wednesday

Feb 24, 2010 at 12:01 AMFeb 24, 2010 at 4:24 AM

A well-designed property should be both functional and aesthetically pleasing, an extension of your indoor living areas. In the landscape, the sky and the mature tree canopy form the roof; shrubs, walls or fences serve as the walls; and ground covers, grass or hardscape function as the floor.

With two-thirds of the winter season behind us, hints of springtime are gradually starting to appear.

At daybreak, as the morning sun casts its pale pink glow on the horizon, the resonating calls of brilliant red cardinals pierce the still morning air accompanied by the repetitive notes of fee-bee, fee-bee, from perky black-capped chickadees and tufted titmice. Carolina wrens join the orchestra, whistling their melodic tunes as springtime courtship rituals get under way.

Several large patches of bare ground have appeared in the sunnier portions of my landscape, revealing the tell-tale tips of emerging spring-flowering bulbs, and despite the unpleasant forecast for a week of unsettled weather, spring is in the air.

Desperate for more tangible signs of spring, I traveled south to the Rhode Island Flower Show last week. For a few wondrous hours, I left the stark silhouettes of my snow-covered landscape behind and stepped into all the glory and splendor of springtime.

Scintillating azaleas in luscious shades of melon, pink and white were artistically blended with exquisite specimens of Japanese maples, fuzzy fothergillas, pale pink wisteria and multi-colored conifers. Tropical bromeliads, ornate orchids, pretty primroses, handsome hellebores, dazzling daffodils and wonderful woodland wildflowers were just a few of the horticultural delights on display. In addition to the rejuvenating sights and sounds of springtime, a terrific lineup of informative and inspirational lectures provided new insights on landscape design and plant material.

One recurring theme throughout the displays and presentations was the desirability of creating outdoor rooms in our landscapes. Just as the interior spaces in your home are designated to serve specific purposes, your objective should be to have “form follow function” outdoors.

A well-designed property should be both functional and aesthetically pleasing, an extension of your indoor living areas. In the landscape, the sky and the mature tree canopy form the roof; shrubs, walls or fences serve as the walls; and ground covers, grass or hardscape function as the floor.

As the spring season approaches, take a stroll through the yard with pad, pencil and camera in hand. Try to step back and critically evaluate your property as if you had never seen it before. Consider the positive and negative aspects of your current landscape elements and how they relate to your ability to move comfortably from one space to another around your property, always keeping in mind your anticipated activities.

Your master plan should blend your family’s needs with your property’s ability to meet these desires if the design is to be successful.

Your ultimate objective is to bring order and unity to your property while creating an attractive and comfortable environment. To facilitate this process, it is usually helpful to draw a map. A rough sketch can be used in the beginning, but it may be advisable to create a more precise diagram using a tape measure to locate primary elements. A simple plot plan, which may be on record at your town hall, can often serve as an ideal base plan.

Existing surface features, hardscape and other pertinent data can be easily transferred to this base plan. As you develop a plan for your outdoor rooms, consider the materials that will best suit your plan for each of the rooms you hope to establish, recognizing your home as a central feature of the plan, which will provide some of the walls of your outdoor living spaces.

An outdoor living room, usually situated in our backyard, is often our first priority and the initial focus of the design process. Depending on the conformation of our homes and the surrounding property, possible gathering zones may take the form of a patio, deck, pool, picnic area or quiet retreat and may be a combination of several of these features.

Hardscape, including stone, wood, concrete or brick pavers, tends to be the foundation for these gathering places, and fences, railings, stone walls and shrub borders can be constructed to enclose these spaces for safety and privacy.

Gazebos, arbors and pergolas can be erected to create an attractive, alternative roof plane.

The addition of plant material will greatly enhance, soften and beautify these outdoor rooms, providing living artwork throughout the growing season. On decks and patios, decorative pots overflowing with tropical plants and annuals offer spots of color and fragrance, while container-grown vegetables can supply tasty treats.

Multi-roomed landscapes may require the installation of side planes to establish enclosures. Plantings of trees, shrubs, hedges or perennial borders can be used to help to define a series of rooms, providing living walls that may function to reduce noise, furnish shade and privacy, restrict movement or screen unwanted views. Fences or walls made from construction materials offer an alternative means of delineating these spaces and can be used to separate the public access areas from private family spaces while paths and walkways can be used to direct flow.

Our front yards are often neglected in favor of our private, backyard gathering places and yet this is the space that we and the public see most often as we approach our homes day in and day out throughout the year.

Landscape designer and author Julie Messervy emphasized the importance of creating a “welcoming zone” in our front yards. Curb appeal should be an integral aspect of landscape design with paths, lighting and attractive plantings, preferably beyond the basic cluster of evergreens, along the home’s foundation.

The use of living plant material as the floors, walls and roof of your outdoor living space may take several years to reach their desired effect, but the long term gains from a thoughtfully planned landscape will be worth the wait.

Suzanne Mahler is an avid gardener, photographer and lecturer who has been developing the 1.5-acre property surrounding her home in Hanover, Mass., for more than 30 years. She is a member of two local garden clubs, past president of the New England Daylily Society, an overseer for the Massachusetts Horticultural Society and is employed at two garden centers.